This Dr Will Not Support You if Your Surgery Goes Wrong

I had an ultrasonic open septorhinoplasty with this Doctor on August 2020. Everything I am writing now has been documented via WhatsApp, Email, communication with this doctor, UK GPs and surgeons and my lawyer. I am not writing this because I seek 'revenge' but to warn other people of this doctor and so that the same thing that happened to me does not happen to you. I would like to make it clear that this is my own opinion. This Dr has many good reviews but I speak from experience saying that if your surgery goes wrong I believe he will NOT support you.

I found Dr Surmeli on realself. His reviews seemed good and I had been looking to get a septorhinoplasty surgeon for a while due to functional (I struggled breathing )and cosmetic reasons. I was referred to the NHS however they said they could only carry out the functional side and doctors in the UK we're quite expensive which is why I sought out this option. Initially all communication was done via the patient coordinator  (who also happens to be his brother). I was not allowed to talk to the Dr before actually going to Turkey (the first major red flag). I told the patient coordinator about my concerns and he said the Dr will be able to fix it. I asked all the questions and told him about my past history (I've had depression and anxiety in the past - I had mentioned this in my consultation with him). He assured that the Dr was fully capable in helping me and that after surgery they will follow up with me constantly and if something were to go wrong they will help.  Fast forward everything was booked and I went to Turkey. The price was attractive and I thought I would get a holiday out of this too: please do not ever think like this.

I finally met Dr Surmeli and the initial consult went really well and he made me feel really confident saying that he will make my breathing improved and straighten my nose and give me a masculine nose that will suit my proportions. He also highlighted how after they will be in constant contact with me ensuring everything is okay even after I fly back to the UK. On the day of the surgery they made me sign contracts in the hospital which were all in Turkish and I could not understand them. The nurse who had given them to me also barley spoke English so I could not have them translated (I had asked for a translator but she said she didn't understand)  however I had trust in the Doctor so signed nevertheless.  After the surgery I woke up vomiting and coughing; I had stayed over in the hospital but it was one of the worst experiences of my life as I was very poorly and could not sleep. But this I cannot fully blame on the Dr as I know patients react differently and this could happen to anyone.  The Dr came the next day saying everything was fine and gave me medication to take back to my hotel saying that he will see me again in 7 days to take my cast off.  The Dr had also told me that he removed fat from my nose- this was done without my prior consent or any warning that this might happen.

Back in my hotel I was really, really sick. and was relaying all this to the PC; at first he said the discomfort was normal but when I said it was getting too bad they had called me back in as I was vomiting, had high fever and significant pain in my nose and head and so couldn't sleep at all. They had me do another covid test but that came out negative so they just said it might be a common virus. The cast had also partially come up so he said he was going to remove it and take out the packing but then didn't and just taped over the cast more. He seemed flustered at this point.  He gave me medication to take back which did help slightly.

On the 7th day he removed the cast and packing. It was really swollen and I could not breathe at all. He seemed a bit flustered over some parts but said it was successful and all good. He told me how to massage and I remember with one of the massages my whole nose clicked back. He said it was normal and after the click 'now my nose was set'. I thought he knew what he was doing and with swelling and initial symptoms being common I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

I was still fairly poorly coming back but was getting better however my nose was still not looking good and breathing had gotten much, much worse but again It had only been a couple of weeks and I thought this was normal. They did not check on me like they promised and it was mostly me having to chase them up. Now this was the patient coordinator so once back in the UK I had no communication with the Dr. I told the PC that things where getting worse but he said this was all natural. I started feeling very depressed as weeks turned into months. This greatly affected my social life and career and academics as I stopped going out and attending letuctures/work. Everytime I would voice my concern the PC would say that I just needed to wait making it sound that I am being unfair and that is was my fault and I wasn't allowed to talk to the Dr. The tone was very rude and made it seem that I was pestering or bothering them. For that reason sometimes I would not message them when things where still wrong or getting worse. However it had gotten to a point where the situation was really bad. My breathing was almost nothing; it felt as thought they had tightened my airways I had to forcefully inhale and exhale. There was an obvious saddle horse deformity and collapse on the right side and my nose was overall very small and feminine like. I told the PC i could not handle it anymore; my mental state was crippling and I could not take this anymore. Only then was I allowed to have the appointment with the Dr.

During the video consult I voiced all my concerns letting him know that I was extremely depressed and also feeling suicidal but he kept on saying my nose looked fine  and was almost perfect and that he is a perfectionist and it will get better with time. I felt slightly better after he said he will check every 2 weeks or so now to make sure everything is okay and said if it isn't they he will revise for free paying for everything.

However a couple of weeks went by and things just kept on getting worse. I messaged the PC again but this time the Dr had sent a letter through email. Apparently I refused the healing process and there was no longer trust between me and Dr and basically cut of contact saying I should find another Doctor. This was on the 13th of October, just over a month after the surgery.

I am not going to discuss any further how this has affected me mentally but talk about the points that will be relevant to you. I visited some of the leading doctors in the UK who have confirmed that the surgery had not been successful and that full reconstruction septorinoplasty was needed. There is evidence of internal nasal valve collapse, too much cartilage being taken out and saddle horse deformity. Amongst other things the Drs have confirmed that overall the nose is small, upturned and a feminine one with high alars and unsymmetrical nostrils that does not suit my face at all and that I would need a full reconstructive septorhinoplasty with rib grafts. My breathing has gotten significantly worse and I cannot eat, sleep or exercise properly.  My nose wasn't the best before but Im sure some of the irregularities I highlighted in the pictures below.

I hope this review helps you with your pursuant in finding a surgeon. Please don't compromise your health and safety for price-it isn't worth it.  Dr Surmeli has good reviews and has obviously performed surgeries that are good but from my experience, he will not help you if the surgery goes wrong and that is simply not a risk you should be willing to take. The nose clearly did not come out as he said it will however this Dr neglected his duty of care and the way he treated me after was absolutely disgusting. There are good Doctors in Turkey as well as bad just like other places in the world; just please do your full research and not make a decision based on price; medical tourism can prove to be horrendous and is not worth your mental and physical state.

I tried pursuing a case against this Dr but they refused and denied everything. They have not had any other contact with me from 13th October 2020, apart from their letter refusing everything. At the moment I am trying to raise funds to have a revision as I'm sure you guys are aware it is very very expensive and I am only a student. I will happily answer any questions you guys have through DM.

Last updated - 07/14/21

Hi-I wanted to update this thread to let you guys know what exactly is going on. I had to drop the case from my end as I simply could not afford it. The Doctor has also sent a letter threatening to sue if I don't remove this review within 5 days (it has already been 2 days)-im not entirely sure how I am going to go about this. The reason I'm keeping this review up and addressing the points made by the Doctor in the above comment is so that the same thing that has happened to me does not happen to anyone else. I do hope this can help as many people as possible as I feel some people see cosmetic surgery to be as easy as shopping for a new accessory or upgrade (I did too). Especially with medical tourism where surgery is turned into a holiday; coupled with staying in a 5-star hotel and living in a fancy location, the seriousness and implications of surgery are heavily discounted which should not be the case. People can be blindsided by this and often ignore red flags due to the price being cheap and the 'experience being good' leading to many young people making the mistake of overlooking research and skill for price and glamour that result in problems that are far worse than mine. There needs to be clearer information and campaigns advocating against this and I hope my post helps drive this, even on a small scale.

To address the above points, there was no ‘implicit or explicit threatening of a lawsuit from me after 6 weeks’. What had happened was the Doctor had said there was no trust between us and that I should start looking for other surgeons and had stopped all contact with me leaving me in a paniced and quite delirious state-this was on the 13th of October.

I never said that 'I will not wait for recovery or will not comply with recommendations'. Why would I say that? My nose was looking horrible and my breathing was minimal so of course, Id be panicking and messaging the Drs team to ask for help and more insight. I was alone in the UK and his teams in Turkey. My mental and physical state is worsening and the only reassurance I can get is from my Doctor in Turkey who has cut of contact with me.

There was no ‘collection of evidence to blame or charge the surgeon’. I did not plan for this to happen. All communication has been documented through letters and WhatsApp anyway and that is proof that everything I've said is true.

He is right with one thing-there was no healthy relationship as there was no healthy follow-up and communication from their end.

I never said, “no I do not accept your recommendations and I will not tolerate the recovery”. I don't know why its in quotation marks. Of course, I had to consult with other surgeons. I want to get my nose fixed as soon as possible but this time I’m making sure I am doing the proper research. And those surgeons did not discredit or blame the Doctor. In fact, they made it clear that they're against that and just told me the truth which is that the surgery did not go well and that is evident in the pictures.

I apologise if my reply seems assertive but it does anger me slightly that those above comments were made and made me seem like a cartoon villain who planned for my own surgery to go wrong just so that I can plot against the Doctor (it’s actually funny). Everything I've said, I believe to be the truth and have evidence to back that up. I am not going to be frightened by the doctor threatening to sue me but am acting on the right of my freedom of speech and will do my best to ensure no one faces the same injustice I faced.

Please don’t hesitate to dm me or drop a question in the comments.

Hi all- I thought I would update you guys on my journey. I managed to scrape some money to get a revision which has put me in debt but I really didn't have a choice as my nose was getting more worse functionally and aesthetically/cosmetically. Below are the final post-op pictures before my revision.

The doctor had said it took almost an hour just to open the nose as there was so much scar tissue and it looked liked I had 6 surgeries done on my nose. I'm currently in the healing process and really just have to wait and see what happens. It already looks better than before but of course still isn't fully how I've hoped and breathing is still not clear but its still early so I know I need to be patient.

I had gotten in touch with the doctor to express my concerns and to let him know how he much he truly ruined my physical and mental health and I was hoping he can offer atleast some sort of refund to go towards my revision but the doctor (well his account manager who handles the patient communication) just left me on read.

I've also been in touch by some media outlets to share my story as apparently this isn't the first time this has happened but I'm worried in doing so the doctor will try to sue me again.

Anyways best of luck to those who are seeking surgery. Please please please do your due diligence in searching and make sure you are fully sure with the decision of having surgery and once you are please do not rush into it and please ake your time and due diligence in finding a professional, experienced and caring doctor. Take care.